Orange Squeezer - How to set the BIAS?

[SuperGeo]

hello guys

i've changed the ic of my dist+ now its working fine thanks hehe


now i built an orange squeezer, and i don't know how to set the bias. I was turning the trimpot and sometimes it get distorced hehe i didn't find an position that gives me a good sustain and compression...

thanks

[Mark Hammer]

Set it so that the input signal provides the most obvious level reduction when you pick.  If you want less reduction that that, you can always reduce the gain of the op-amp.

[RDV]

When working the best it can, the OS is still pretty subtle. You should be able to hear some squeezing effect however. If you looking a bunch of sustain, I'd build or purchase a Dyna-Comp type, or a Boss CS-3.

Regards

RDV

[SuperGeo]

When working the best it can, the OS is still pretty subtle

sorry but i don't know what subtle means...  :oops:

[RDV]

sorry but i don't know what subtle means...  :oops:

subtle:
1 a : DELICATE, ELUSIVE <a subtle fragrance> b : difficult to understand or perceive : OBSCURE <subtle differences in sound>
2 a : PERCEPTIVE, REFINED <a writer's sharp and subtle moral sense> b : having or marked by keen insight and ability to penetrate deeply and thoroughly <a subtle scholar>
3 a : highly skillful : EXPERT <a subtle craftsman> b : cunningly made or contrived : INGENIOUS
4 : ARTFUL, CRAFTY <a subtle rogue>
5 : operating insidiously <subtle poisons>

Here is a great online dictionary. There's also a downloadable toolbar(I use it all the time). Learning never ends(and shouldn't).

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Regards

RDV

[bwanasonic]

i didn't find an position that gives me a good sustain and compression...

The OS is not ideal for super-squashed distortion tones that sustain for days (see Ross/Dyna-Comp). I personally think it is ideal for adding a really nice warmth and polish to clean tones. It works it's magic more by smoothing down peaks rather than by pulling up the signal as it fades. I think Analog Man's idea of putting both the Ross/ DC and OS types of comp into one pedal is great. For super compression craziness try two Dyna-comps in series! Lowell George of Little Feat was known to exploit this sound to great effect on slide guitar. Another great recipe for sustain is Guitar + VOLUME. Not a luxury we can always afford though. As for adjusting the OS, at one end you will get a lot of volume and maybe distortion, and as you turn the pot the signal will fade to zero. The ideal setting is a matter of taste, but the closer you are to the point where the signal starts to cut out is where you are getting the most compression. At the other extreme you are essentially just getting a boost. Don't forget to search the archives here for OS info, as there is a virtual goldmine of it.

Kerry M

[Mark Hammer]

What people want from a compressor can vary widely, and that's why there are so many of them with different designs and different built-in settings or characters.

Myself, one of the things I want from a compressor is limiting of peaks.  Traditionally, compressors were used to make sure that the signal level never went higher than a certain amplitude, to make sure the vinyl or the broadcast transmitter or whatever would not distort, and also to make sure that the speakers would not be accidentally blown or throw the circuit breaker.  If you play loud, fast music in a combo situation (which I don't, but I used to), you cannot always be sure you pick as softly/loudly as you need to.  It is very easy to find yourself drowning out a singer or fellow musician (one of the reasons why many bass amps come with compressors) when you did not plan to.

Another thing people want from a compressor is to achieve a steady level.  Compressors are very helpful for rhythm guitar because they let you slam away and strum like you're playing a big body Martin but still keep the volume in the background at a steady level.  If your goal is to provide backing, compression helps to create a "wash".

A third thing people use compressors for is to get better performance out of other pedals.  Many distortion pedals behave better and provide a more consistent tone is you compress first.  The distortion pedal *also* compresses the signal, but compressing first helps it do a better job.  Similarly, pedals that have key components with limited signal-handling capability, such as FET-based phasers, pedals that use CA3080's, BBD-based pedals like flangers, chorus, vibrato, or delay, can deliver a more distortion-free sound if you restrict the peaks and provide a consistent input signal level.  Some of these pedals already have companding built in, and if that is the case, a compressor pedal does not improve beyond that, but many many such pedals have only a couple of diodes to protect them against extreme input signals, so a compressor is helpful there.

Some people use compressors to try and create the appearance of sustain or to keep a note "alive" long enough.  .  Lowell George was mentioned, and I suspect that anyone who plays slide on a tremolo-arm Strat is probably thankful for what compressors do to the lifespan of notes, given what tremolo arms take away.

Some people use compressors to disconnect tone from volume.  Typically, there are some tones you can only get if you pick a certain way.  Trouble is that a certain volume level may come along with that.  If you compress...enough...you can get very different sounds with little or no difference in volume.

Finally, some people use compressors to reshape the envelope of the instrument.  For instance, Tele bridge pickups have a very distinctive snap and attack, with lots of dynamic range.  When heavily compressed, with the right time constants, that initial attack provokes a kind of fast retreat in the note by the compressor that is like the audio equivalent of a turtle jerking its head back into its shell.  It is an interesting sound and a staple of many country pickers.

As others have noted, subtlety is good, but it may not address which of these functions (or many others not listed) it is you want a compressor to do for you.  It may well be more useful for you to have a different unit, or even more than one.